:)    :P    :(    :D    :-O  These symbols are not a basic series of punctuation marks and letters. They are emoticons, a portmanteau word composed of emotion and icon, signifying those iconic typographical manifestations of various emotions. Prevalently used for a decade in e-mails and text messages due to their expressive brevity, emoticons are now employed by businesses seeking to capture the attention of Gen Y, or the Net Generation, and to trademark them for commercial purposes.

The June 2010 World Economic Forum Report Enabling Trade in the Greater ASEAN Region ranked 125 economies based on market access, border administration, transport and communication infrastructure, and overall business environment.  According to the report, one of the main factors for lower rankings of certain Asian countries lies with difficulties in moving goods around.

In the last half decade, many tragic events have taken place due to Thailand’s ongoing political discord. The recent May riots resulted in incalculable damages, both public and private. Naturally, as Thai law imposes liability on those who directly commit violent acts, those directly responsible and the masterminds of the riots should be held liable for the damages caused. However, this raises questions as to the circumstances under which these instigators or masterminds are criminally and/or civilly liable. This article examines the relevant provisions under Thai law.

Presented in a Q&A format, this chapter provides a broad overview of Thai patent law. The chapter covers issues such as prosecution and opposition, enforcement, licensing, and current developments.

This Tilleke & Gibbins Viewpoint article, written by David Lyman (Chairman & Chief Values Officer), provides a review of the current state of corruption in Thailand. The article gives an overview of petty corruption and grand corruption, highlighted by recent prominent examples. The article then discusses recent progress made by the government and the importance of ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

There has been an emerging movement in Thailand for some form of medical malpractice legislation. Various professional organizations (representing healthcare professionals) and NGOs (representing patients) have proposed draft legislation; there have now been a total of seven draft bills governing medical malpractice. The current draft garnered a great deal of attention from both local and international media outlets in July and August 2010, as healthcare experts forewarned of dire consequences that could result from the Bill.

After the Consumer Case Procedure Act and the Product Liability Act became effective, several healthcare providers have voiced concerns regarding the applicability of these new laws and medical injury-related matters. Expectedly, there were recommendations from certain groups of healthcare professionals that disputes involving medical injuries should not be governed by these Acts. In light of this, there has been an emerging movement in Thailand for some form of medical malpractice legislation. This article looks at the draft legislation.

Thailand is one of the few countries where registration (or recordation, to be precise) of a well-known trademark is available at the Department of Intellectual Property under its Regulation Regarding Well-Known Marks B.E. 2548 (2005). Applications for well-known marks will be thoroughly examined by the Board of Well-Known Marks, chaired by the Director of the Trademark Office and composed of Thai Trademark Registrars from all classes of goods and services.